NAoS members join together for MS Awareness Week
MS Awareness Week 2026 ran from Monday 20 to Sunday 26 April. The theme this year was ‘MS Think Again’ and the focus was on the misconceptions people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) face and the harmful impact these can have on their lives.
The campaign was led by a collaboration of?the UK’s biggest?MS charities: MS Society, MS Together, MS?Trust, MS-UK,?Shift.ms, Overcoming MS, Neuro Therapy Network, and Talks with MS.?
In the weeks leading up to MS Awareness Week, more than 1,600 UK residents who live with MS, including 237 in Scotland, completed a survey sharing their experiences of people making false assumptions about their condition.
Some key findings among the Scotland respondents included:
67% have felt judged or been treated differently because they have MS.
53% have been questioned or challenged for using accessible facilities, such as an accessible toilet, a priority seat on public transport, or a Blue Badge parking space.
55% have avoided using an accessible facility they need (such as the ones mentioned above) for fear of being questioned, challenged, or judged.
82% have been told they ‘don’t look sick’ or received similar comments.
63% have experienced someone wrongly assuming they couldn’t do something because they live with MS. Of that 63%: 48% said someone had assumed they couldn’t work; 45% said someone had thought they wouldn’t be able to exercise or play sports; and 18% had experienced someone thinking they wouldn’t be able to have children.
98% of respondents experience at least one invisible symptom (such as fatigue, cognitive issues, or pain) and within that 98%: 51% have been made to feel their invisible symptoms don’t matter; and 16% have been accused of faking invisible symptoms.
People living with MS across Scotland shared their own experiences to raise awareness of the harm making false assumptions can cause, and to help correct some of the misconceptions about their condition. Their stories were published by local and national press and media, on the MS Society UK and MS Society Scotland social media channels, and on the MS Society’s website.
Supporters throughout the nation also marked MS Awareness Week in their own way. Buildings were lit up orange and cakes decorated with orange icing, reflecting the main colour in the MS Society’s logo. Organisations displayed MS Society flags and volunteers held events in their communities.
Visit the MS Society’s website to read some of the stories that were shared and watch the MS Awareness Week 2026 video: https://www.mssociety.org.uk/get-involved/ms-awareness-week. Or catch up with the campaign on social media by searching #MSThinkAgain.
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